Support from Tamer Kıran to Recep Düzgit...

Support from Tamer Kıran to Recep Düzgit

IMEAK Chamber of Shipping Board of Directors Chairman Candidate Recep Düzgit met with the maritime community at the breakfast sector meeting. Speaking at the meeting, IMEAK DTO Chairman of the Board of Directors Tamer Kıran announced that he would not be a candidate again for the chairmanship he has held for two terms, and gave important messages about Düzgit, with whom he has been working for more than eight years. Düzgit, on the other hand, explained the priorities of the next period before the elections and touched upon the issues on the sector's agenda, from green transformation to legislation, from education to the single card application in ports.

As elections approach at IMEAK Chamber of Shipping, Chairman of the Board of Directors Candidate Recep Düzgit met with representatives of the maritime community at the breakfast sector meeting.

The remarkable statement of the meeting came from IMEAK DTO Chairman of the Board of Directors Tamer Kıran. Kıran announced that he will not be a candidate again next term for the chairmanship of the board of directors, which he held for two terms.

Kıran said, "I thought that what mattered was what we contributed to the institution during our management and what kind of structure we left after us. For this reason, I decided not to run again for the position of chairman of the board of directors, which I held with great honor for two terms."

Stating that the decision was not easy for him, Kıran emphasized that what is important is the continuity of institutions, not people.

“We worked closely with Recep Düzgit for more than eight years”

In his speech, Kıran devoted extensive space to the process of working with Recep Düzgit, who served as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors for two terms.

Explaining that they worked with Düzgit during periods when pandemics, earthquakes, wars and regional security problems affected maritime trade, Kıran said, "The duty of a vice chairman of the board of directors is not just to attend meetings. It is to take responsibility. It is to share the burden when the need arises. I have seen such close work from my brother Recep Düzgit in more than eight years."

Stating that Düzgit has been in the current management approach and working culture for two terms, Kıran underlined that the final decision regarding the future of the chamber will be shaped by the will of the members.

Kıran is a candidate for the Presidency of the Parliament

Stating that resigning as the Chairman of the Board of Directors does not mean that he will leave his work at IMEAK DTO, Kıran also reminded of his previously announced candidacy for the Presidency of the Assembly.

Stating that he will continue to transfer his more than eight years of management experience and the institutional memory he has created to the work of the parliament if he takes office with the approval of the members and the parliament, Kıran said, "As a term ends for me, my will to serve our chamber does not end. On the contrary, I will continue with a different responsibility."

Düzgit: I grew up in this industry

Speaking at the meeting, İMEAK DTO Board Chairman Candidate Recep Düzgit explained that he was introduced to maritime when he was a child and talked about his professional background and his work at the Chamber of Shipping.

Stating that his father's words "Know your job well, keep your word, take the sea seriously" are one of the basic principles in his professional life, Düzgit said that he has worked in many different areas of the maritime industry since the age of 15, starting with supplying provisions to ships.

Explaining that he worked as a ship agency, insurance agency, ship owner, ship builder, shipyard, pilotage and tugboat services and manager in port management, Düzgit said, "In short, I grew up, developed in this sector, and earned my living here."

Stating that he has been an IMEAK DTO Council Member continuously since 1995, Düzgit also talked about his struggle to implement the regulation regarding personnel change of ships transiting through the Turkish Straits in the past years.

Düzgit stated that thanks to this regulation, today, in addition to Turkish seafarers, approximately 30 thousand foreign seafarers come to Istanbul for exchange purposes every year.

“In this room, work happens with patience and togetherness.”

Emphasizing that the work at the Chamber of Shipping should be followed until results are achieved, Düzgit said, "In this room, work is done with patience and togetherness. Sometimes you follow a file for years, but if you do not let go, one day it will happen."

Reminding that DTO is a professional organization in the nature of a public institution, Düzgit drew attention to the importance of sector representatives being present in decision-making mechanisms while preparing maritime public regulations.

Stating that although a regulation may seem small on paper, it can directly affect the trips, costs and competitiveness of companies in the field, Düzgit said that they will continue to fight to change the regulations that cause problems for the sector.

“Single card” application in ports

In his speech, Düzgit also gave examples of his efforts to facilitate the daily activities of the sector.

Düzgit explained that the problems experienced in some supplies to ships in the past due to customs practices were resolved as a result of negotiations with the relevant public institutions, and noted that correct communication between the state and the sector is important in solving the problems.

Stating that they have been working for about six years to implement the single card application in ports in Turkey, Düzgit said that the pilot application has started and that they will follow up on the spread of the system to all ports.

Düzgit said, "This chamber knows what it is doing, it knows the process, it knows its addressee, it knows the procedure. There is no rush, there is precaution."

Green transformation message

One of the most striking topics in Düzgit's speech regarding the next period was green transformation.

Emphasizing that the protection of the sea and the environment is not open to discussion, Düzgit said that they aim to protect members against the effects of costs arising from environmental regulations on the competitiveness of the Turkish maritime sector.

"The sea is our life. We will protect it," said Düzgit, pointing out that compliance with environmental conditions brings new technical regulations, investments and serious costs.

Düzgit said, "We neither give up on protecting the environment nor do we tolerate our members being oppressed under these conditions. Our job is clear. To minimize the cost of compliance and to protect our members against the burdens and problems that may arise in this process."

Emphasis on education and trained people

Düzgit said that trained human resources are decisive in the future of the maritime industry and also touched upon the investments made in Piri Reis University and maritime education institutions.

Düzgit stated that the number of students at Piri Reis University reached 7 thousand 237 today, while it was 3 thousand 836 in 2018, and drew attention to the importance of the educational infrastructure created to train captains, mechanics and maritime lawyers needed by the maritime industry.

“We will work hard”

Reminding that there are 15 days left for the IMEAK DTO elections, Recep Düzgit asked for support from the members for the next term.

Stating that the sector has issues waiting to be resolved, Düzgit gave his message regarding the election process with the following words:

"We will work hard. Because we have work to do, our industry has expectations. We will achieve some of these, maybe some will not happen immediately. But we will fight to make it happen. We listened to you, and we will continue to listen."

Source: SeaNews Türkiye